Piston Pump with Fixed Discharge Outlet for Under-Counter Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing under counter dispensing systems face difficulties in coupling replacement reservoirs to the dispensing mechanism, making the process cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A piston pump assembly with a piston chamber-forming body and a piston-forming element that simultaneously dispenses liquid and air, featuring a replaceable reservoir cartridge with a pump assembly and delivery tube for easy coupling to a housing arrangement underneath the countertop, allowing for coaxial reciprocal movement to facilitate efficient fluid and air discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If replacement reservoirs are installed underneath the countertop for engagement with the dispensing system, then the dispensing system can be configured to deliver liquid and air, but difficulties arise in respect of the coupling of the replacement reservoirs to the dispensing systems
Solution Approach 1:
The pump assembly is divided into separable components: a pump body that remains fixed in the housing and a replaceable reservoir cartridge that can be easily coupled and decoupled. This segmentation allows the reservoir to be replaced without removing the entire pump assembly, simplifying the coupling process while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
A cartridge is introduced as an intermediary component between the reservoir and the pump body. The cartridge includes a cartridge body that couples to the pump body and a reservoir that couples to the cartridge, facilitating easy replacement while ensuring proper alignment and connection through the intermediate cartridge structure.
2Productivity
If a piston pump assembly is used to simultaneously dispense liquid and air, then efficient dispensing is achieved, but the structure becomes more complex with multiple chambers and moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid pump and air pump are merged into a single integrated pump assembly with a common piston chamber-forming body and piston-forming element. The piston chamber-forming body defines both a liquid chamber and an air chamber, and the single piston-forming element simultaneously actuates both chambers, achieving efficient simultaneous dispensing while reducing structural complexity compared to separate pump systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston chamber-forming body serves multiple functions: it defines both the liquid chamber and air chamber, provides sealing surfaces for both pumps, and guides the piston-forming element's reciprocating motion. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining the ability to efficiently dispense both liquid and air.
3Reliability
If the discharge outlet is fixed relative to the piston chamber-forming body, then reliable dispensing is ensured, but the delivery tube must be flexible to accommodate movement
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible delivery tube is used to connect the fixed discharge outlet on the piston chamber-forming body to the variable outlet position on the cartridge. The flexibility of the delivery tube allows it to accommodate the relative movement between the fixed pump body and the replaceable cartridge while maintaining a reliable sealed connection, ensuring consistent dispensing without requiring the discharge outlet itself to move.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables easy installation and operation of the dispensing system by simplifying the coupling process of the reservoir cartridge, ensuring reliable and efficient dispensing of liquid and air through a fixed discharge outlet, improving user experience and maintenance efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a piston-forming element received in the piston chamber-forming body coaxially slidable inwardly and outwardly therein between an outward extended position and inward retracted position
Implementation Method 2
an air pump which, with reciprocal coaxial sliding of the piston-forming element relative the piston chamber-forming body, draws air from the atmosphere into the air chamber and discharges air from the air chamber through the guide slot into the central passage
Implementation Method 3
a one-way air inlet valve to permit air from the atmosphere to be drawn into the air chamber by the air pump when the air pump creates across the one-way air inlet valve a sufficient vacuum below a pressure of the atmosphere air pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A piston pump with a piston chamber-forming body and a piston-forming element relatively coaxially reciprocally movable to dispense liquid and air from a discharge outlet, which the discharge outlet is fixed relative to the piston chamber-forming body.